Jennifer 8. Lee would be one of my favorite writers even if she didn't write about food, one of my favorite things. But she does and she does it damn well, with the same keen and childish curiosity that deftly straddles the edge between cheeky and puerile. Intellectual girl crush status.

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As Told by Dior

     I snagged a copy of Christian Dior ... Man of the Century from the library and have been voraciously consuming it. Published in conjunction with the centenary of M. Dior in 2005, the book was a complement to the exhibit at the Dior Museum, housed in his original home in Granville. But this book is more than just a side dish to a museum exhibit, it also contains a copy of Je suis couterier, Dior's famous autobiography.

     More than anything else, I'm struck my Dior's sense of humility – there are pages upon pages of his thanks for his friends and business partners whom he obviously treasured – and his earnest desire to create something beautiful. His descriptions of his aesthetic dreams (women with waists like reeds, skirts blooming like flowers) showcase a mind obsessed with the perfection of form, the construction of beauty.

     I'd recommend anyone to check it out, but my searches online have yielded nothing (hence the lack of cover art or link to a bookstore), but if you ever get your hands on this, it's an absolute dream to just flip through; Bar Suit here, embroidered gown there, gorgeous sketch somewhere else. Long live, Dior!

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Showing BARE, Saving Bucks

     I'll keep it short and sweet this time. I promise.

     Might I proudly present the BARE Magazine Blog, an extension of the eponymous student rag on whose staff I serve and whose second issue is right around the corner.

     And so long as we're tickling your palette for fashion, I might as well let it drop that Yoko Devereaux's remaining stock from their Spring collection is now on sale, with items reduced as much as 80% off.

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Long-Winded

     Long time no see. Long time no speak. A variety of technical difficulties, scheduling fiascos, and overall lethargy have contributed to my extended absence. But I'm back, and in full force. Currently, my time is being spent divided between frantic attempts to finish my homework, sluggishly trudging through my classes, and working my ass off at my job. But the results are stunning. I just bought...

     ...(clockwise, from the top) Rogan henley, Engineered Garments t-shirt, Cheap Monday L.L. Vintage button-up t-shirt, , Uniqlo short-sleeved gingham, and Uniqlo short-sleeved chambray. Many thanks go to Connie for the Uniqlo shirts, which she got when she snagged herself an internship for this summer. Talented bitch.

     And on a note that doesn't remind of how worthless my career possibilities are going to be, I finished Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things for my post-colonial lit class and I am in delirious love with it. From her deconstructive approach to language to her fractured and demented play with chronologies and temporality, Roy does a real doozy for my understanding of what a novel can do.

     Any future delays in posts will probably be due to my inability to think of 5 pages to fill up on the Aeneid/my desperate scramble to interview someone for my journalism assignment/my ever-increasing hours at the boutique/my lack of the Adobe Creative Suite on my computer.

     Don't worry. Things will get better. Or at least I'll be able to afford things until they do.

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Food For the Road

     "'But we call it lembas or waybread, and it s more strengthening than any food made by Men,  and it is more pleasant than cram by all accounts.'"

-Book II, Chapter 8, 'Farewell to Lórein'

     So it's a lazy sort of Sunday and I've spent my entire day grocery shopping/doing dishes, but I decided to take an hour out to try out a new recipe. I know it sounds silly (and it is), but I decided to try making lembas, based upon a recipe that I found at Happy Love Strawberry and I'm really happy with the results.

     I won't reproduce the recipe below, because I'm far too lazy, but I will note that I made mine a little sweeter by actually using sugar and honey, although I probably will use just the honey next time. Also, I had planned on adding some lemon zest, but I had already thrown away the squeezed lemon by the time I remembered. Oh well, there's always next time. Also, I wound up adding a wee bit too much milk in an attempt to keep the dough cohesive, but it ended up being a little stickier than I wanted. I rolled it into a ball, wrapped it in plastic wrap, and gave it a chill, which solved that problem rather nicely.

     So I'm obviously not the neatest baker, but I really wanted these things in the oven and having eaten one, I have to say that I am supremely satisfied. The best description I can possibly come up with is that it's a cross between a biscuit and a cookie with hints of lemon and just the slightest bit of sweetness. And yes, this was the nerdiest thing I have ever done in a kitchen.

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NOW I AM...

(Click for full-size image)

     ...(clockwise from top left)...

• LISTENING to Hot Chip's Made in the Dark: Honestly the most fun I've been having during this entire weekend of studying. I just got myself the Ready for the Floor remixes, so I'm expecting more enjoyment out of this one.
• WATCHING Living With the Mek: The Adventures of Mark and Olly: I am absolutely enthralled with this show, mostly because of how bunglingly inept the two of them are. I mean, it's fascinating to watch the other culture, but the best parts are when the show produces moments that are absolutely ridiculous and would never exist outside the context of a television program (i.e. sleeping with pigs, sex stories with ladies).
• READING Four Theories of the Press by Fred Siebert: Technically there are other writers, but Siebert's writing is what really motivates you to read it. That and the forthcoming assignments that I'll have to do.
• BUYING Tide Cold Water detergent: Has anyone tried this? I mean, it's not nearly as useful when I'm not the one paying the water bills. But I'm running low on detergent and I want to try something new. Rebellious, no?
• WEARING Marc by Marc Jacobs burgundy cords: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know you're tired of them already.
• EATING Beemster X.O.: A slice of dairy heaven that's bound to please anyone who likes cheese. Thick, nutty, and aged to perfection, this Beemster has gotten 26 months under its belt and it's learned quite a few tricks during that time. Nutty, warm, it is simply a textural dream.

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Give a Damn

     New York Fashion Week is right around the corner. Shit. I don't think I'm going to be productive at all. I already looked through Boy, Vera Wang Lavender Label, and Elie Tahari. What can be said?

     I'm absolutely in love with this camel coat. Add in cropped pants, two-tone oxford heels, a casual button-up, and cashmere gloves and you have got a recipe for feelin' good.

     I'm just going to do some reading while I wait for the pool to open up for free swim. Yeah, it'll be freezing, but at least I'll feel like I accomplished something.

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Rainy Days Provoke Thoughtfulness

     Here's another one that I can't take credit for (all of which belongs solely to The Red Dot), but the Emily Carr Institute Art + Design, having graduated talents like Neko Case and Terence Koh, has just opened up the studioshop. It's basically a classy Etsy—not to say that Etsy isn't classy—but having some pretty heavy artistic credentials does lend it a certain status.     The store if filled with tons of goodies, including this awesome piece from Sarah Fuller's series' called The Photographic Tarot Project. I'm already a sucker for symbolism (the time spent decoding the album covers for both Ys and Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band attest to this) and Fuller's work displays this amazing tension between adult sensibilities and child-like whimsy.

(Lindsay, Ten of Swords by Sarah Fuller)

(She is a Lovely Vessel by Diane Espiritu)

     Diane Espiritu's pottery definitely has a down-to-earth feel, but the ethereal and often incomprehensible patterns (ribbons? flowers? faeries?) takes the traditional vase and turns it into a wonderful aesthetic question. I don't know if I should put flowers in it or just leave it on a shelf, but I know I want it. And the color is to die for.

     Why, oh why, couldn't I have been born with some measure of talent?

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Well, Dragon?

Shakespeare and tea.

It's a lazy, productive kind of Sunday afternoon. I think I'm going to re-do my nails. In-depth grooming is best performed on a Sunday, mostly because you don't feel the real need to accomplish anything.

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